Lost and Found
by AlternativeRocker
Summary: Elizabeth went off world with another team and goes missing. John's team help to find her later that day. Awful summary, I know. One shot. J/E UST.


**Authors Note:** First SGA fic. I'm a John/Elizabeth shipper so this is not what I had planned for them but oh well.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters or the show.

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><p>John rushed down to the gate and stood in front of Lorne. "What happened out there? Where's Dr Weir?" Elizabeth had chosen to accompany Major Lorne's team because the initial sweep had threw up a large number of writing samples that she had almost squealed with excitement over at first glance.<p>

"We don't know Colonel. We were investigating some ruins in the temple and she must have went to one of the parts that needed to be translated, and then we couldn't find her/"

"Was there anything suspicious going on before she disappeared?"

"No sir."

"She can't have just vanished into thin air!" He turned to Caldwell, "Permission for my team and another one to engage in a search?" Caldwell considered the options for a few seconds but knew he had to allow them the chance to bring her back.

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><p>On the planet he quickly briefed the two sets of people, "Split up in groups of no less than two and canvas the surrounding area. Keep radios on at all times. My team, we're going to take a look inside the temple or whatever the hell it is."<p>

"What if she isn't here?"

"This is Elizabeth we are talking about. She's smarter than the average person; she won't have gone far."

In his concerned state John hadn't even gave a thought to how large the ancient building would be and groaned heavily when he saw it, knowing it would take hours to search and Elizabeth probably wouldn't be as easy to find as he had tried to make out. She always had a habit of doing the most awkward things.

After many wrong turns and dead ends they eventually found the prayer room she was last seen in. John and Rodney decided to go to the room to the left, where they found Elizabeth's bag and radio deeper in the corridors.

Rodney started to speak at that moment, "Well, this is looking more hopeful every step we take."

"Shut up or I'll shoot you without any hesitation." He stared at the wall in front of them as he tried to figure out what the different possibilities of these circumstances could present. He could imagine what Elizabeth's face would have been like when she had stood here. The design and architecture were perfectly carved and extremely intricate in details; the symbols used for communicating the alien language was unlike any he had seen before and he wished he could have witnessed this wondrous building being constructed.

Looking at every part of the flat surface he noticed five thin marks below a sand covered section which had been rubbed away to show small holes in the wall. The five marks were the most interesting to John however. It took him a little while to notice how much they resembled the shape of fingers; they were definitely female and he had seen her hands travel over documents and keypads enough times to safely assume they had been left by Elizabeth as she had attempted to work out what the circular tunnels were.

"Rodney, she's been here and I have a feeling these markings have something to do with all of it." He looked down to the floor and his eye caught on a triangle of cleared ground with one of the sides being the wall. It reminded him of what a door being opened does to whatever was previously in front of it.

He suddenly got an idea and rummaged around in Elizabeth's perfectly packed bag and found a pen which he pressed into one of the holes with Rodney staring at him confused. When that didn't work he tried putting it into another tunnel and then another. A couple of tries later and he finally heard a click from within the stone. The block had moved a little inwards and he instantly understood the fingerprints: they were from pushing the door open. He mirrored what she had done earlier - making sure Rodney was going to keep it ajar so they all wouldn't become stuck - and walked in.

He found her sitting in a corner a few meters into the passage. "Afternoon Elizabeth."

She looked up in shock since she hadn't hears them open the entrance and smiled at the faces of her most trusted friends, "I've been waiting hours for you. As your leader I ex[ect better next time."

"There won't be a next time for you in this kind of position." John countered, glad that she was unscathed.

"I just went in to see what was inside and then the door swung shut and wouldn't move back. The door was too thick obviously to hear the hysteria that started soon after that realisation," she commented with a smirk playing on her mouth.

As they started to walk back out after John radioed the different pairs with the news he asked Elizabeth, "How is it always the clever ones like you and Daniel Jackson that get into the most trouble?"

"It's a requirement for all linguists and negotiators to be aware they are entering these surprisingly dangerous career paths. And did you just call me clever, John?"

"You know me, always good at boosting egos after damsels in distress are saved in perfect working order. It's good you're okay, does this not make you consider staying in your Atlantis office instead of wandering around unknown planets?"

"Oh but it's so magical out there." He laughed at her romantic views of the universe.

"Join the military and then you could be part of hundreds of missions."

"That would require more effort. What would be the point when I can go on the occasional ones while still being in control of our brilliant city?"

"You have such a picturesque idea on life, Lizzie. I don't understand how you can act like this after over four hours trapped in a small dark room." They locked their gaze on to the other's eyes before she gave him one of her giant grins and walked towards Teyla who was next to the gate.

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><p>"Would you stop fussing over me! I wasn't even in that much trouble." Elizabeth and John were sitting in her office and she hated how he had spent the hours since returning to Atlantis constantly asking is she was still feeling all right or if she wanted anything.<p>

"Sorry," he muttered whilst he stood up and started to walk to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"You clearly don't want me around. I'm going to go eat or sleep or something."

She got up from her chair at this moment, "Hey! I did not say I didn't want you here. I just want you to ease up on all this concern thing you have going on now."

"Well I got worried about you. I'll admit to that because I'm not used to you being in that danger and we couldn't understand where you had gone. You are supposed to be in here or with my team in the very least."

"You're getting too protective of me John," she said it in with a tone of warning because she knew where it would lead because they both felt the same way about each other. But they weren't allowed to be like that with each other. They could like or admire each other but not this. Not love each other. These thoughts however did not stop her surprising him with a hug after she said it. He stood awkwardly before wrapping his arms around her. They knew this was the maximum contact they would be allowed to have without crossing their invisible line so they put as much into it as they could, trying to prove how much they felt for the other without actually saying the words.

"I'm just pleased you're here Elizabeth." He whispered into her hair as she desperately tried to stop all the feelings she had for him pouring out of her and knew he was having the same troubles.

**The End.**


End file.
